


The Breaking of the Brine

by Rubynye



Series: The Delphinestrian: Purimgifts 2020 [4]
Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Extras, Gen, Other, Partial Nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23101621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubynye/pseuds/Rubynye
Summary: All out of song and empty of tears, Danae cuddled Perseus closer to her.
Relationships: Danae & Perseus, Ino | Leucothea & Melecertes | Palaemon (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Series: The Delphinestrian: Purimgifts 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652668
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8
Collections: Purimgifts 2020





	The Breaking of the Brine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ariestess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/gifts).



> For Ariestess in PurimGifts 2020. One bit more!
> 
> Title from Andrew Lang's translation of Simonides' "Danae's Lullaby". Referenced nudity is in the accompanying graphic only.

All out of song and empty of tears, Danae cuddled Perseus closer to her, huddling into her cloaks against the maelstrom all around them and the tumbling within her belly. The cask had proven watertight so far, but it groaned and flexed as it rolled to and fro, wallowing amidst the churning waves, and with every bob Danae could only expect this would be the one that would send the cask under, swamp it finally, drown her and her baby son once and for all, sacrifices to her father’s paranoid vanity.

And still Perseus slept on, his cheek rounded and softer than even her fine purple cloak swathed around him. All Danae could do, helpless in this tiny cask amidst the vast roiling sea, was silently pray and hold her baby and dare to hope. 

At length the cask’s rolling eased and lessened to stillness, at length her insides eased from nausea to mere parched hunger, at length Danae raised her head, and saw the lid of the cask moving.

The hopeless scream stuck in her throat, the darkness filled her eyes. So their end came, alone in the heart of the sea with whatever had come to claim them, and she couldn’t wake Perseus now at the end of his brief sweet life. 

The lid lifted and a soft glow rose over the side of the cask, followed by the round face of a cheerful little boy, his curls golden and wet. “Hello, my Lady,” he answered Danae’s dumbstruck stare, “my Mother has come to help you.” 

The glow brightened as another face leaned over Danae, that of a lady pale as milk and glowing like the Moon through clouds. “Greetings,” said the pale lady, reaching in with one luminous hand, and Danae reached up in wonder to grip it, feeling warmth like sunshine, like love, like the golden rain from a year ago that had coalesced into her golden dream of Perseus’ father. “His Majesty Poseidon sent us to bring you cheer and comfort. I am Leucothea and this is my son Palaemon,” who waved, his teeth gleaming in his smile despite the lightlessness of the night. “What a beautiful babe you have there.”

“Thank you,” tumbled from Danae’s mouth, small and soft, and Leucothea shone all the brighter upon her, then pulled her hand back, but only to undo the band restraining her hair. 

As it fell around her bare shoulders in rippling waves, she reached in and passed the little scarf to Danae, saying, “Tie this in your hair and you will feel neither hunger nor thirst until you reach land, which you will, land and safety and a new home. I was sent to encourage you because I have also known fear with only my child in my arms, and have known the mercy of the most Powerful. So shall you in your turn.”

Her smile was so truthful Danae’s heart rose within her, but then Leucothea looked up and away, and then back to her. “But now we must go,” Leucothea said gently, brushing her fingers over Danae’s upraised hand once more.

“We’ll put this back on tight,” Palaemon added cheerfully, "so nothing gets in," as the cask’s lid descended again. But now Danae had the light of the sea-goddess in her eyes and her heart, and felt as nourished as after a feast, and best of all her run-dry hope was refreshed. 

“Thank you,” she murmured again, at last knowing she was heard, and as she rested her cheek against Perseus’ again she closed her eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Ariestess, I feel I owe you a bit of an apology. This is my first time doing Purimgifts and I misinterpreted the instructions a bit, and gave you one story in several parts rather than several different stories, so the least I could do was to give you one more piece of the story.


End file.
